Written by Linda Trivino
The idea of visiting the Dark Caves was thrown at us for nearly 2 months ago but no one really bothered about it. Firstly, as members of Pacesetters Athletic Club Malaysia (PACM) our main interest is running. Secondly, a visit to the Dark Caves would mean walking on mud, meeting bats with guano, soiling our sneakers and clothes. Not very exciting, I guess.
It was during one of our regular breakfasts of nasi lemak at Tanglin after a Sunday run that the idea of visiting the Dark Caves revived again. The Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) organises visits to the Dark Caves located immediately adjacent to the temple cave in Batu Caves every 3rd Sunday of the month.
The idea of visiting the Dark Caves was thrown at us for nearly 2 months ago but no one really bothered about it. Firstly, as members of Pacesetters Athletic Club Malaysia (PACM) our main interest is running. Secondly, a visit to the Dark Caves would mean walking on mud, meeting bats with guano, soiling our sneakers and clothes. Not very exciting, I guess.
It was during one of our regular breakfasts of nasi lemak at Tanglin after a Sunday run that the idea of visiting the Dark Caves revived again. The Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) organises visits to the Dark Caves located immediately adjacent to the temple cave in Batu Caves every 3rd Sunday of the month.
Left: Yuk Horng, Sharon, Tammy, Linda, PK & Shirley
Our group of six (comprising Yuk Horng, Sharon, Tammy, PK, Shirley and me) finally decided to go. No one was that keen to find out more but I did and what I discovered was not that pleasant. There would be encounters with lots of cave cockroaches, millipedes and other crawlies besides bats and their guano. My first reaction was to find an excuse to “chicken out” but no, Tammy would not allow that. She’s smarter than that, so I had to endure this fear of the unknown in silence.
The day of the visit arrived and as punctuality has always been important in our group, we gathered at the meeting point of the Pigeon Square in Batu Caves at the designated time. We were advised to dress in old clothes and pants with good sturdy shoes (no jeans or slippers allowed). Compulsory items for each individual are a helmet (can be rented from Batu Caves), head lamp or torch light, and spare batteries for standby. Other optional items are hand gloves, elbow and knee pads.
The day of the visit arrived and as punctuality has always been important in our group, we gathered at the meeting point of the Pigeon Square in Batu Caves at the designated time. We were advised to dress in old clothes and pants with good sturdy shoes (no jeans or slippers allowed). Compulsory items for each individual are a helmet (can be rented from Batu Caves), head lamp or torch light, and spare batteries for standby. Other optional items are hand gloves, elbow and knee pads.
After a short briefing, our 3 guides from MNS together with other participants from other walks of life were ready to start our visit. The first segment of the visit centred on educational aspects of the cave. The objectives of MNS in organising this sort of outing is to instil in us some form of environmental awareness and conservation especially to our caves.
The visit began with a short walk around the drier part of the cave which also caters for short tourists’ visit. We were then briefed on the formation of limestone cave which focussed on the formation of stalactites, stalagmites, columns, pillars and the types of fauna that can be found in the caves. This lasted for about 40 minutes.
Next on the agenda was the “adventure to the unknown” the part that I dreaded most. I took one more pleading glance at Tammy hoping to see whether I could cancel this part. I even told her if she wanted to back out I would sit with her. No chance! She’s one smart cookie!
The guides then led us to a tiny little crevice, fit only for a cat or rat to go through. We waited to be led elsewhere but the guides told us that was where we had to crawl to get to the other part of the cave. Everyone was silent, too stunned to even object. I bet thoughts of despair raced through our minds. Since the gap is so narrow, only one person is allowed each time. One of the guides demonstrated this movement by lying flat on his stomach and using only his hands and feet to manoeuvre. His crawl seemed so smooth but little did we know how much pain we had to endure.
Nevertheless, we obeyed and we crawled for our dear lives. Some gaps were even too narrow for our helmets to go through so we had to twist and turn our heads sideways. It was frightening, challenging and tough. We felt the bruises immediately. The plus point we had was our fitness level. All those Sundays of running paid off.
Next, we had to tackle a vertical climb. Again, this was challenging but the assistance of the guides with their words of encouragement made every obstacle a success. Our regular Gasing Hill climb seem like a breeze in comparison to this rather low but vertical ascent.
The visit began with a short walk around the drier part of the cave which also caters for short tourists’ visit. We were then briefed on the formation of limestone cave which focussed on the formation of stalactites, stalagmites, columns, pillars and the types of fauna that can be found in the caves. This lasted for about 40 minutes.
Next on the agenda was the “adventure to the unknown” the part that I dreaded most. I took one more pleading glance at Tammy hoping to see whether I could cancel this part. I even told her if she wanted to back out I would sit with her. No chance! She’s one smart cookie!
The guides then led us to a tiny little crevice, fit only for a cat or rat to go through. We waited to be led elsewhere but the guides told us that was where we had to crawl to get to the other part of the cave. Everyone was silent, too stunned to even object. I bet thoughts of despair raced through our minds. Since the gap is so narrow, only one person is allowed each time. One of the guides demonstrated this movement by lying flat on his stomach and using only his hands and feet to manoeuvre. His crawl seemed so smooth but little did we know how much pain we had to endure.
Nevertheless, we obeyed and we crawled for our dear lives. Some gaps were even too narrow for our helmets to go through so we had to twist and turn our heads sideways. It was frightening, challenging and tough. We felt the bruises immediately. The plus point we had was our fitness level. All those Sundays of running paid off.
Next, we had to tackle a vertical climb. Again, this was challenging but the assistance of the guides with their words of encouragement made every obstacle a success. Our regular Gasing Hill climb seem like a breeze in comparison to this rather low but vertical ascent.
The grand finale of the visit was walking on the muddy floors to get out. Our sneakers and pants were covered with rich vibrant hues of brown and grey colours. There was no other way but this way to walk as the dryer areas are too slippery for comfort. Unless one is willing to fall hard and twist their ankles to save soiling their sneakers, there is no other alternative. Since we treasure our ankles for the forth coming KL International Marathon we went for the mud!
Four hours later, when we finally made our exit, six of us marched out with a new found pride. Though we emerged looking like coal miners, we have achieved the experience of a lifetime. We felt a certain “high” that we were able to handle some unknown obstacles and we gained both mental and physical strength.
A day after the visit, the aches started, the bruises appeared more significantly but we are also scouting for the next cave to explore! We just love adventures and yes we want more cave visits!
Written by Linda Trivino
Four hours later, when we finally made our exit, six of us marched out with a new found pride. Though we emerged looking like coal miners, we have achieved the experience of a lifetime. We felt a certain “high” that we were able to handle some unknown obstacles and we gained both mental and physical strength.
A day after the visit, the aches started, the bruises appeared more significantly but we are also scouting for the next cave to explore! We just love adventures and yes we want more cave visits!
Written by Linda Trivino
Posted by KC
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